Kitchen3N

Recipes and food fun from Apt 3N

Spinach Purée with Quinoa (Saag ar Quinoa)

IMG_2426I did it! I conquered the quinoa! I thought about ways to desi-fy it since practically anything cooked in a curry sauce in this house gets consumed in minutes. Since I had this bag of frozen spinach in the fridge, I thought about doing a take on the classic palak paneer, replacing the protein in the form of paneer (cheese) with quinoa.

IMG_2421 Before you cringe at the thought of sullying your favorite buttery, cheesy spinach dish with healthy food, keep in mind  – it passed my taste test! In fact as I ate it throughout the week (the hubby helped – though the kids did not), and even went on to make French green lentils with the leftover vegetable stock, I really started acquiring a taste for these plant based proteins. When I had chicken after about two weeks, the poultry smell actually bothered me! Not to say I’m going vegan on you guys. No no no no. IMG_2422As I experiment with South Asian flavors and new ingredients, I’m excited to share some of the things I’ve been whipping up. On a side note: apparently the casual and sometimes excessive usage of the word “excited” or “exciting” is a uniquely American colloquialism. I found this out while reading the supremely entertaining and insightful novel Americanah about two Nigerians, following their lives in their home country and abroad. It reminds me a bit of The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, about a chubby Dominican kid growing up in the states. Both these novels do such a great job of relating the immigrant experience, part universal, part relative to their specific ethnic group. They overshadow most novels in that genre (recall the overly saccharine images of the Mama Ganguli making her holiday cards or the tired “behind the veil” stereotypes offered by Hosseini).IMG_2432 I digress. I used tricolor quinoa for a nice balance of nutty and earthy flavors. The main difference between this preparation and past failed attempts at quinoa was SALT AND PEPPER. After cooking in the low sodium vegetable broth, it was OK. After seasoning to taste, I was like, “I could get used to this.” And the spinach puree, though not plated very well here, was amazing. Pair it with any of your favorite proteins (salmon, grilled chicken breast, etc.). I added a dollop of yogurt to balance the deep seated flavor, but you can add sour cream, creme fraiche or nothing at all!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp light olive or vegetable oil
  • a pinch of cumin seeds
  • a pinch pach forom (optional)
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 12oz bag frozen spinach
  • 2 green chilis
  • 1/8 tsp ginger powder (or raw ginger, minced)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tbsp water

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan, bring the quinoa and vegetable broth (or chicken stock) to a boil. Let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the ring pops out of the quinoa. When it’s done, season with kosher salt and pepper (about 3/4 tsp and 1/2 tsp respectively). Set aside
  2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the cumin seeds and pach forom, if using, and let it warm through until fragrant, about 60 seconds. Add onions and saute until translucent (about 4 min). Add garlic and chilis. Stir to combine. Then add the frozen spinach, breaking up clumps with your wooden spoon. When it’s manageable, add the remaining ingredients. Let simmer, covered, for 5-7 min.
  3. Remove one of the green chilis and a bay leaf. You can always add the second chili to the puree if you like it hotter. Carefully add the spinach mixture to a blender and blend, covered, until smooth. Add water as necessary to thin it out. WARNING: (In case you are as inexperienced with the blender as I am)I made mine a bit too thin by attempting to blend it with the “Smoothie” function. “Ice Crush” did a much better job, but it was too late, I added the extra water already.
  4. Serve on top of the quinoa, adding yogurt as desired.

 

Easy Fried Rice

IMG_6406 Ever since I started cooking for myself, my taste for takeout has rapidly declined (pizza and sushi exempt). Take chinese takeout for example: when I was a kid, it was the ultimate treat. My Friday lunch if I used my allowance wisely. I’m not sure what you know about Bengali moms, but they are pretty militant in their meal regiment. Rice, vegetable saute/bhorta, some kind of protein curried, and daal. That is what you have for dinner, every night. Without fail. Every bengali kid who grew up here knows the struggle to have something different on the table (first world problems, I know). And the retorts that follow: “Eh? Pizza? How is that any kind of food? What with all that cheese…and they wonder why American kids are so fat!”. This is usually said as one or more uncles are stuffing their faces with beef or goat curry and are working away at a Mt Everest sized mound of rice on their plate.

Anywho, takeout became less of a treat as I started making things like fried rice, fried chicken or tacos at home. The takeout versions just seemed laden with MSG, salt and grease. I used to be a little incredulous of Rachel Ray always insisting that the food you cook at home is so much better than takeout because you control what goes in there. But once you wean your taste buds of those noxiously high amounts of salt and fat, you can appreciate well made food. Food that someone didn’t just throw salt and fat at to make taste good. Rather, food that took time and thought to cook. Tasting along the way to make sure everything came together at the end.

IMG_6411Not to say that this recipe doesn’t include oil or sodium. I make mine with light olive oil (as opposed to extra virgin) and soy sauce, along with fresh garlic, ginger powder, and a generous serving of sriracha afterwards. It’s very versatile though: use any leftover meat you may have. And it’s quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal. You can use any combination of vegetables you like, as long as there are some root vegetables (onions, carrot, celery, etc.) along with corn, peas or even zucchini. For the protein, you can substitute eggs, small cubes of beef, shrimp or even tofu. And the cilantro is optional (I would put cilantro on everything if I could).

Ingredients

  • 1 cup short grain rice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups mixed root vegetables, chopped small, comparable to the size of peas (I used onions, carrots and green peppers)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp ginger powder
  • 2 tbsps soy sauce
  • a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 cup cooked chicken, cubed (if using left over curried chicken, rinse under water to get rid of the spices)
  • 1/4 cup frozen peas
  • 1/4 cup frozen corn
  • a handful of cilantro, chopped

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan or pot, rinse the rice with cold water. Then add water to cover (the water should cover the rice by at least an inch). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium while preparing the vegetables.
  2. In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the vegetables and let them soften (about 5 minutes depending on how big you cut them). Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat to medium.
  3. Working quickly, and keeping an eye on your vegetables so they don’t burn, drain the rice in a colander. Add to vegetables. Add chicken and frozen vegetables. Combine over medium heat. Be sure to break up any big chunks of rice (short grain rice is very starchy). Cook until frozen vegetables are heated through. Top with cilantro and taste for seasoning.
  4. Serve with Sriracha or any hot sauce of your liking.

Spinach and Tuna Sauté

IMG_1428

Try to do a better job than I did with the onions.

This  recipe is based off of one that my mom learned from our first hosts in American, way back in 1989 (listen up kiddos, fireside chat time). Of course, that one included all the usual spices found in Bengali curries (cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder). It was the perfect hybrid between American pantry basics and desi cooking. Props to Majumder Aunty for coming up with it! It’s great for so many reasons. Surprisingly flavorful for a straight-out-of-the-pantry dish. Really low budget. And quick. IMG_1436Frozen spinach is just such an all around winner. Always keep some in your freezer. So much easier to prepare than to rinse, cut, and cook fresh spinach, only for it to wilt down to nothing. And as per the tuna, I like the italian tuna packed in olive oil. So much more flavorful than the watered down chicken of the sea we used to have growing up. It’s amazing how much flavor tuna can impart on a dish when it’s not drowning in mayo and hiding in between slices of bread. I like to swap out the medley of spices for some freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest. “Brightens up the flavor” as Giada would say. And because I made it kid friendly, I dialed back on the amount of chili flakes. My mom tosses in whole green chilis, but I rarely have those on hand. I did keep the coriander in there because I think it complements the lemon. But if you’re truly making something from the pantry, this dish would still taste great with just the garlic, salt and pepper. IMG_1443You can serve this with rice and daal. It would also be great on some crusty bread with a little bit of grated cheese (gruyere, fontina), pressed and served as a panini. It’s super versatile. Hope you try it out soon!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 16 oz package of frozen spinach
  • 1 7oz can of tuna
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
  • a pinch of red pepper flakes
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • a light squeeze of lemon (I despise too much acidity in my food, but if you don’t, then by all means, go to town on that thing!)

Directions:

  1. Dice onion. Heat up oil over medium high heat in a woke or large fry pan.
  2. Add onions to oil. While onions cook, mince garlic. Add to pan.
  3. Add frozen spinach, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add tuna, including the oil it was packed it.
  4. Season with coriander, salt, chili flakes. Stir over medium high heat until spinach and tuna are fully heated through and flavors combine (4 to 5 minutes).
  5. Off the heat, add lemon zest, juice, and extra chili flakes, if desired.

Olio, Aglio & Peperoncino

IMG_1153For most people, the holy trinity means the Catholic theological doctrine of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. For those in the culinary world, it usually means carrots, celery and onion. But for me, it really is olio, aglio & peperoncino (oil, garlic and pepper). On busy weeknights, it is your best friend. Heat up some garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in a pool of extra virgin olive oil and you have the base for a flavorful, fast meal in minutes. Throw in cooked spaghetti, spinach, green beans, or broccolini. Or use it to dress up fish or chicken breasts before grilling. Remember to filter out the pieces of garlic and pepper, of course, otherwise it burns. Once you do that, the whole thing becomes a super versatile garlic and pepper infused oil.

IMG_1143I first came across it in one of my first cookbooks, Giada’s Everyday Italian. I didn’t even take a second glance until my semester abroad in Rome. Seriously, a protein-less meal? But restaurants actually had it on their menu. And the prospect of a home cooked meal for basically the price of a box of spaghetti was more than appealing to my broke college student self.

But even after Rome, after getting married, when I found myself cooking for a guy with the overstimulated palette of a south asian, the combination of these three ingredients amped up the flavor of just about any meal.

I made this most recently the classic way. I think it’s a dish best served simply, with basil or parmigiano (though, to be honest, I haven’t tried it with the medley of herbs that Giada tops it with). Mangia bene!

IMG_4694Here it is doing its thang on some roasted shrimp.

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (1 tsp if you can’t take the heat)
  • fresh parmigiano reggiano and/or basil chiffonade to top

Directions

  1. In a large pot, bring six quarts of water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and add pasta. Cook six to eight minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over low heat. Add garlic and pepper and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Remove from heat.
  3. In a large bowl, add the pasta using a pair of tongs, keeping the cooking liquid in the pot. Add the oil, a ladle of the pasta water and toss to combine. Top with Parmigiano Reggiano, Basil, Pecorino Romano, Parsley – whatever you like!

Spaghettini with Cherry Tomatoes

By now you all know that consistency is NOT my middle name. I offer, not as an excuse, but as a simple explanation for my long absence the fact that I am just about to pop this baby out (of course that means posts will become even more intermittent once I am a fully sleep deprived zombie/mother of two). I have been relying on a combo take-out, mom’s cooking and trader joe’s prepared meals to get by.

Nowadays, when I do find pockets of time when the stars align (I’ve got energy, the grandparents have taken the little one out), I look for recipes that are less involved, requiring fewer dishes to clean. I’ve seen many permutations of the thin-pasta-with-cherry-tomato-based sauce, including some from my favs (Giada’s linguine with shrimp, cherry tomatoes and asparagus or Ina’s summer garden pasta). I try not to be as pour-happy with the olive oil as Ina, and compensate the sparseness of the ingredients with the slow, careful nurturing of the complimenting flavors: garlic and red pepper flakes. Come to think of it, it is really a twist on the italian classic spaghetti con aglio, olio e peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and red pepper flakes).

Whatever it resembles, wherever it came from – it’s good. Try it.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound spaghettini (or any other long, thin pasta)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
  • 1 lb cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • handful of basil

Directions

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Set aside in a big bowl while reserving some pasta water.

In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil over low heat. Slice the garlic and add to the oil, letting it infuse. Discard when the garlic becomes fragrant, but not brown. Increase the heat to medium and add the cherry tomatoes, red pepper flakes and salt to the garlic infused oil. Cook until the tomatoes are just bursting (about 5-7 minutes). Add in the cooked pasta, parmesan and julienned (rolled up like a cigar and sliced thinly) basil all into the skillet. Give it a big toss. Add a ladle or two of the pasta water to help bring everything together.